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Lesser-known greats show rich history of Broadmoor Skating Club's 75 years

Even the most causal of figure skating fans knows of 1968 Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming.

But it is the lesser-known champions who illustrate the rich history of the Broadmoor Skating Club.

A video showcasing the club's history will be shown at a gala dinner Saturday and a luncheon Sunday and promises to make a huge impression on the current competitors, who may not know many of the greats who preceded them.

"It's made me feel so proud to have been a small part of this club," longtime coach Janet Champion said. "They will see this video and see and feel the camaraderie that comes with this club and see how much others before they may not even know about have accomplished. It's going to be inspiring."

Registration for the event is closed with about 250 people from 20 states, Australia, Canada and England expected to attend. The scheduled guests including U.S. national champion Max Aaron, 2012 national pairs champ Caydee Denney, and 2010 Olympian Rachael Flatt.

They will learn about brothers Hayes Alan Jenkins and David Jenkins, two of the lesser-known greats who dominated in the 1950s and early 60s.

Hayes won four straight world championships from 1953-56 and captured gold in the 1956 Cortina Olympics in Italy. David took bronze that year and followed that with three world titles from 1957-1959 before winning the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics.

"For seven years they reigned in the U.S. and in the world," said former skater and gala committee member Debbie Might.

Jill Trenary is also scheduled to attend. She was the first world champion from the Broadmoor club since Fleming, who was the first after eight with ties to the club were killed in the crash of Sabena Airlines Flight 548 while en route to the 1961 world championships in Prague.

It was the darkest moment in the club's history, which began seven months after the opening of the old Broadmoor Ice Palace on Jan. 1, 1938. The club has had world medalists and U.S. national champions in each decade since.

The club has had six Olympic medalists, 11 world senior champs and 47 U.S. senior national titlists.

"The club had its down years and its periods of great success," said Might, whose father Jack was one of the original skaters and was involved as club administrator until his death in 1997.

"But it says so much about the quality of coaches the Broadmoor hired over the years and the talent they attracted that the club has done so well. It really is an achievement."